Family and Community Environmental School (FACES) graduation held on January 13th, 2005

In January 2005 HEJ, SVTC's Health and Environmental Justice Project concluded its FACES 1 series of classes in the town of Alviso in San Jose.  The FACES Series was presented in partnership with the Mujer Latina project at George Mayne Elementary School.  Sixteen Latina immigrant women received their diplomas for completion of the series on January 13, 2005.  The series was a great success and introduced its participants to the basics of toxics, chemical exposures, and health.  As one of the participants stated, "[I will] talk to my family about the importance of knowing about the danger of toxic chemicals... and how to replace them with alternatives that are safer for our health." 

This FACES series was significant for many reasons.  HEJ has historically worked in four neighborhoods in East San Jose- Olinder, Mayfair, McKinley and Washington.  The FACES series in Alviso represents an expansion of HEJ’s geographic scope to one of San Jose’s most contentious Hispanic neighborhoods.  Originally an autonomous Hispanic village, Alviso was annexed by the city of San Jose in 1968.  According to the 1990 census almost 75% of the neighborhood is Hispanic.  Click Here: Read The Full Story!

Participants from the Alviso FACES classes, January 2005

           Pictured from left to right: Marina Dols, Isabel Winchester, Luisa Chavarin,

Macintrash: iWaste, Toxic To The Core

Apple on the Hot-Seat as Campaign Takes Off.

SVTC and the Computer TakeBack Campaign successfully launched a new corporate campaign to move Apple Computer to sign the Statement of Principles on Extended Producer Responsibility with two back to back actions at Apple Headquarters and at the San Francisco MacWorld Expo on January 10 and 11, 2005.  The actions, involving a display of iWaste (Apple branded computer waste), a 6x15 foot banner that spoofs the iPod ad campaign, distribution of over 4000 peices of informational materials and a new web presence at www.badapple.biz, garnered major media attention in local, national, and trade press in print and broadcast. 

The coverage has put Apple in the hot seat, and our actions had significantly added to the presence of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, drawing over 10,000 visitors to the CTBC website in one week, (a ten-fold increase over the entire month of November) sending over 3000 letters to CEO Steve Jobs and increasing our activist-action list by 40%.  Letters continue to be sent to Apple each day, as we gear up for another year of events.    

Our campaign has stirred a buzz in some likely, and unlikely quarters. The San Jose Mercury News, Apple’s hometown paper, has written three favorable editorial pieces on electronic waste, and one specifically on Apple’s failure to live up to its reputation as a responsible business. Our concern over Apple’s environmental policies and their impacts on communities has become a topic of discussion among Mac-User groups, as well, which we will continue to cultivate. And far a field from rational discourse, Rush Limbaugh found our campaign compelling enough to rant against us on his popular right-wing drive-time radio show. We know we’re making waves when Rush gets on our case.

As we celebrate our victories, remember, the campaign is just beginning. While we keep our doors open to Apple for discussions on how best to help them do the right thing, we must continue to keep up the pressure. If you have not taken our first online action to Apple, click here at http://www.badapple.biz. In 30 seconds you can add your voice to the thousands calling for clean, sustainable technology and Computer TakeBack.

  January 10th: Apple Headquarters, Cupertino 

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Web Gem: The Life Cycle of the Personal Computer

Last October, SVTC sent Campus Coordinator John Doucette to the Education for Sustainability Conference in Portland, Oregon.  This original 4'x4' poster was presented at the conference to help educate about the environmental effects of each stage of the computer life cycle.  The poster also gives a brief glance at computer dismantling practices in prisons and overseas; and toxic materials found within computers.  You can now find a copy the poster on SVTC's website.  It is a great educational tool for classrooms!  There is a PDF version on the web that's perfect for printing.

SVTC is promoting the use of environmentally preferable purchasing guidelines for institutes of higher education across the bay area.  For more information on the program or on the purchasing guidelines, feel free to contact John Doucette with any questions at jdoucette@svtc.org.  

Click on the poster to be taken to the link on the website.